9 plus 1 equals 10
by cyrbrii
Summary: Kanon Himitsu is a baseball player, a girl baseball player. She learns about the Kisaragi Girl's Baseball Team and immediately wants to be on the team. When she does join, she knows that she will only be with them for one year. Just like her last name, she holds a dark secret, but what is it?


Although the Kisaragi Girls Baseball Team lost to their brother school in the semi-final to get to Koshien, they still had two years left to come out as champions. During their first year as a girls' baseball team, I had followed every single one of their games. My name is Kanon Himitsu. I live in America with my Japanese father and English step-mother. When I watched the Japanese girls' baseball team, I knew that I had to join. I begged my father to allow me to go to Kisaragi Girls High for the next year of school.

After asking him repeatedly for three months, he finally gave in and found a job near the school. It is a couple weeks before school starts. I had asked to meet with the chairperson to the school as well as the coach to the baseball team. When I was let in to Chairperson Himuro's office, I took a folder out of the backpack I had with me. "Good morning, my name is Kanon Himitsu. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Miss Himitsu, please have a seat." She gestured to the couch across from the one she and Coach Kido were sitting on. "Are those the records I needed?"

"Yes, Chairperson," I said and handed them to her before I sat down. The coach took it out of her hands and opened the folder to see what was inside.

"This is just a bunch of school records." Miss Himuro took the file back. She flipped through the papers until she found what she was looking for.

"Kido, this is what you want to see." His eyes widened as he scanned the pages.

"You've got to be kidding?"

"Why would I joke about something I love to do?" I said the question seriously.

"Well, it says here that you can play every position on the field, you are a switch hitter because you are ambidextrous, and you can pitch with both arms as well." I stared at him. "There's no way this is possible."

"If you don't believe her," Miss Himuro began, "Perhaps, you should test her." She turned to me and smiled. I nodded. We all stood up and left the office and headed to the baseball field. I walked behind the two the entire way there.

"Yoko, you idiot! Don't work on your tan while we are having practice!"

"But the season hasn't even started yet! We don't have to practice!"

"Will you two ever stop fighting?" The closer we got to the field, the more shouting we heard. "Can't you just be nice to each other for a little while?" When the field came into sight, I saw the fiery redhead being held back by two other team members. The blonde was lying on a towel in the grass.

"Excuse me ladies, but I want you to meet someone." All the girls turned towards their coach and the Chairperson. They stepped aside so the team could see me. "This is Kanon Himitsu." Everyone's eyes got bigger. I knew they would all be shocked because of my appearance. I was short for being sixteen years old; just barely five feet. My hair was black with blue at the last two inches of my hair, and it reached my hips. I had deep blue eyes that looked like murky water. My ears were pierced once on my right ear and twice on my left; the lobe and the top of my ear. I was wearing navy-colored shorts that reached the top of my knees. My t-shirt was white with a blue heart on the front. I was wearing my favorite shoes, my knee-high converse. On my forearms were fingerless gloves that went to my elbow. They had black and white stripes as their design. I know that I didn't look like an athletic person, but take my word for it, I love sports.

"I'm liking this girl already," The redhead said. "My name is-"

"Seira Morimura." She looked at me confused. "And the blonde's name is Yoko Tokashiki. The pitcher is Ryo Hayakawa, and her catcher is Mao Daidoji. First base is played by Hikaru Yoshimoto, third base is played by Izumi Kimura, and shortstop is played by Kanako Mita. Koharu Hotta is your big hitter and center fielder. Lastly, in left field is Yuki Azuma"

"How do you-"

"Oh and Nene Mori is your manager," I interrupted and then smiled.

"How do you know all of our names?" Seira was looking at me dumbfounded.

"In America, I would watch female baseball teams all over the world. Most of them are people a lot older than me. I knew that I wanted to join a baseball team because I could pitch in baseball, and I can't pitch underhand, like in softball. When I saw you guys playing, I wanted to join the team so badly. I annoyed my dad for three months until he agreed. We actually arrived a few days ago and are still unpacking things."

"So what position do you play," Ryo asked.

"All of them," I answered. The team looked at me in disbelief, just like their coach had back in Miss Himuro's office.

"We brought Miss Himitsu here to test her skills. So first, let's test her batting skills. Everyone get to your positions. Ryo, take it easy on her."

"No!" Everyone turned to me. "Ryo, you can throw it at your usual speed." The pitcher nodded. I grabbed the bat that was handed to me by Koharu. She smiled and then ran to centerfield. I walked up to the batter's box. "Which side do you want me to start on?"

"Huh?" Almost everyone on the team was shocked.

"I'm ambidextrous. I can use my left and right hand equally."

"Woo! Another switch hitter!" Hikaru, the first baseman, jumped with her hands in the air. "Start on the right side!" I nodded and stepped into the box where I would bat left-handed.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Are we sure she can play," Izumi asked the coach.

"Izumi!" She turned towards me. "Ball coming to you, two bounces on the ground, and along the line." I focused on the pitcher, waiting for her to throw the ball. As she began to throw the ball, I tightened my grip on the bat and smiled. With my mind, I slowed down the ball. If you were to look through my eyes, everything would be in slow motion. I stepped forward and swung the bat. And just like I said, the ball was hit along the baseline. I saw it bounce once, twice, and into Izumi's mitt.

"Whoa, how did-" I smiled.

"Do you think I can play now?"

"So what, it was a lucky guess. There's no way you can predict what the ball will do after you hit it."

"Um, Izumi… in our first game, you said you would aim for either the left or right light pole."

"That was just aiming! She said exactly what the ball would do, and there is no way that's possible!"

"Hm, you're as prideful as the articles say. Okay, if you don't believe me, you tell me what the ball should do."

"Tch, fine. Have it go over Ryo's head high enough so she can't catch it. Make it bounce on second base and roll into Koharu's glove."

"Your wish is my command." I bowed deeply. I knew that it would annoy her, but where would the fun be if I took this completely seriously? Ryo pitched the ball again. After the ball came into contact with my bat, it flew just above Ryo's mitt, bounced on second base, and rolled through the grass into the centerfielder's glove.

"I'm gonna switch sides. Throw one of your lightning balls Ryo. I've practiced with pitches going as fast as yours… even faster," I said, but the last part I said under my breath. Sure enough, after I asked her to throw that unique pitch, she did. I swung, and I hit the ball into right field. "Should I do some fielding now?"

Breathlessly, Kido said, "Yeah, start on the mound." Each teammate turned to Ryo. She shrugged her shoulders and tossed the ball to me. Catching it, I walked up to the pitcher's mound.

"Ryo, can I borrow your glove?" Nodding, she took the mitt off her right hand and handed it to me. "Don't worry; I don't throw as fast as you do. I would only be a relief pitcher."

"Don't you want to play pitcher?" I smiled.

"I can play all the positions, remember?" Ryo arched an eyebrow. "Trust me."

After about thirty minutes, I had played every single position on the field and amazed everyone. "That's amazing. How long have you been playing," Kanako asked. I thought for a moment and did the math in my head.

"About thirteen years."

"Thirteen years! You have to be kidding. There's no way you have been playing for that long. It means you were playing when you were three years old."

"You're right." I paused. "Although technically, it's fourteen, but when I was two, I was just learning the fundamentals. My mom said that when I was younger, I would run around with a ball and bat every day. I was taught how to play by her." Feeling tears come to my eyes, I stopped talking. Miss Himuro came up to me.

"Are you finished for the day?" I looked into her eyes. The tears overflowed and ran down my cheeks. I nodded. "Kido, can she join the team?"

"That decision should be made by everyone on the team. I'm the coach, but I won't force the girls to play with her if they don't want to." He yawned and started to walk away. "Well, Ryo, you should give her the answer since you are team captain." I turned to look at the Kisaragi Girls High Baseball Team. No words were said, but looks between the players was proof they were talking amongst themselves.

"You are the first person to ask to join the team. Everyone else was recruited, and the fact that you came from America shows that you are very determined and ambitious." Ryo smiled and looked at her teammates before looking back at me. "Welcome to the team, Kanon Himitsu." The whole team rushed forward and hugged me.

Instead of practicing some more, the girls decided that they just wanted to get to know me better. "Hey, Kanon," Seira said. Turning to the redhead, I waited for her to continue speaking. "I love your look. Do you dress like that all the time?"

"No, my style changes based on how I am feeling."

"You should dress like that all the time. You look awesome." I smiled. I looked around the group and saw Yuki staring at me.

"Yuki, what's wrong? Is there a bug in my hair or something?" I franticly began to brush my hands against my hair. People started to laugh and told me there was no bug.

"It's nothing," Yuki said. "I just like the fact that I have something in common with someone else on the team." Confused, I arched an eyebrow. "You probably wouldn't want me to say it right now. We can talk privately later."

"Okay…" I made a mental note of getting together with Yuki some time. "Well, what else do you guys want to know?"

"Are you wearing makeup?" The question surprised me. I smiled at Yoko and shook my head.

"I don't wear makeup when I play baseball, well any sport really. I don't want it to run into my eyes. My eyelashes are really thick and long, so it does kind of look like I have mascara on."

"You just said that you play other sports," Izumi said. "What kind of sports?"

"Any sport that I could do through school. It was mainly baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, tennis, and I even did cheerleading for a few years."

"You played tennis?" I nodded. "Would you like to go play for a bit?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I focus on baseball. I haven't played tennis in three years."

"You mean little miss perfect won't play tennis."

I narrowed my eyes. "What makes you think I am perfect? You only met me today. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were a coward too."

"Izumi," Ryo said.

"What the hell?" Seira stood up. "What's your problem today?"

"Izumi, this isn't like you," Koharu said. Everyone stood up, and they were behind me protectively.

"Izumi, why do you have issues with Kanon?" Ryo placed a hand on my shoulder. "Can't we resolve things?"

"What is your problem," Izumi shouted in frustration. "Doesn't it bother you that she can play every position and use both hands?"

"We just met her. We will learn why she can do all this."

"Do you guys want to know why?" The team looked at me. "I understand what you mean, Izumi. People in America were frustrated with my abilities as well. If you really want to know, my mom taught me how to play every position. She was ambidextrous like I am. A regular coach would only be able to teach me how to use only one hand, and I needed to learn how to do both." Tears came to my eyes again. "When I was nine years old, my mom died. I have had to teach myself since then."

Everyone was looking at me in shock. "Kanon, I had no idea…," Izumi trailed off.

"And you know what else? My dad remarried, my stepmom doesn't even look at me unless I am perfect, and I was forced to do better each day because of her." My eyes scanned my teammates' reaction. Yuki came forward and wrapped her arms around me. "If you want to know, I tried to kill myself. My dad saved me, but he didn't save me from the verbal abuse my stepmom gives me." I pulled my fingerless gloves off. "Every time I don't meet her standards, another cut is added." I put my arms out in front of me. Everyone gasped. My forearms were covered with scars and fresh cuts. "My dad decided to divorce my stepmom because he found out she harassed me all day." Shamefully, I slid the gloves back up my arms and stared at the ground. "Now you know; will you accept me for who I am Izumi?"

When I looked up, Izumi had tears falling away from her eyes. "I had no idea. I am so sorry." The third baseman walked up to me and hugged me as well. "Can you forgive me? I truly am sorry."

"It's okay. Most people run away when I show them my cutting; you were one of the first to realize that I am not perfect."

* * *

I joined the team the next day at the field on the school campus. My home was only a few blocks away so I rode my bike to practice. When I came up to the school, I waved at everyone. I noticed that there were more people at the field than there were yesterday. "Kanon!" Ryo had shouted my name and was waving both her arms to get my attention. As I pulled up to the field, I stopped my bike with my foot and jumped off. My leg got caught on the pedals, and I fell over flat on my face.

"Oh my God, Kanon, are you alright?" I looked up and laughed. Yuki and Seira came up and helped me stand up. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I laugh at myself when I do something clumsy." I hugged the two players. "Who is everyone else that is here?"

"It's the Kisaragi Boys Baseball Team."

"Ah… and why are they here?"

"Hey! Just because we're rivals, doesn't mean we can't hang out in our free time." I looked to the person who spoke.

"Hiroki Takasugi, it's been a while. When did you last vacation in America?"

"You know each other?" Ryo and Izumi looked at me confused.

"Sort of," I said.

"She helped me when I got lost, because when I tried asking people for help, they ignored me because my English was not very good at the time."

"I could tell he was from Japan by his accent."

"She came up and asked what she could do to help in Japanese. I was so relieved to find someone who could speak the same language as me."

"What he didn't realize was that he was six blocks away from Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. I brought him to my place, and my dad called a taxi for him. It seems that ever since, he tries to get lost on purpose."

"I'm just happy I found a friend in America." I rolled my eyes. "How have you been Bluebells?"

"I'm fine," I sighed. "Why are you still calling me that?"

"Because it helps me remember your name, Kanon."

"He gave you a nickname too?" Ryo had her arms crossed as if in frustration. I nodded. "Why Bluebells?"

"The meaning of my name; 'Ka' for flower and 'Non' for sound. Therefore, he has dubbed me Bluebells." Smiling, I nudged Hiroki's arm, and he nudged me back. I rolled my eyes. "So how have you been?"

"Fine, still playing baseball. I have been told that you have joined the girl's baseball team." I nodded. "So when are you going to teach me how to become a switch-hitter?"

"I told you when you were in America the last time; you have to practice swinging the other way."

"I have been." I arched an eyebrow. "Okay, I haven't, but that is because I want you to teach me."

"Last time I checked, you were dating Ryo. She's left-handed. Ask her for help." The two looked at each other awkwardly.

"We aren't dating anymore."

"What happened?"

"Could we talk about it some other time?" Ryo's eyes held a look of true sadness. I nodded. "Do you wanna go practice pitching with me?"

"Sure," I replied. Ryo handed me two baseball mitts. "Kido brought these this morning. I figured that if we pitched to each other, you can break in the new gloves."

"Thanks." The two of us walked over to the field. I went behind the plate since I was able to play catcher. I put on the mitt for my left hand. I decided that I would start right-handed since that was what Ryo was used to. She threw a slow pitch to warm up her arm.

We continued to practice for about twenty minutes. "Kanon," someone began. I turned and saw Yoko and Nene walking towards me. "Guess what?" Yoko was beaming.

"I don't know; what?"

"Your uniform is here." The two grabbed my hands and dragged me to the baseball team's locker room. A few of the other girls were inside waiting for us. On the table in the center of the room, my baseball uniform was laid out.

"This is awesome you guys. Despite the fact that I absolutely hate the color pink, I feel like a part of the team now. So, what number am I?" I picked up the top and turned it around. The number zero was displayed on the back. Confused, I arched an eyebrow. "Why zero?"

"We don't want people to know that we gained a new, great asset to the team. For now, you will start on the bench." Kido appeared in the doorway. "Is that alright with you?" Nodding my head, I smiled.

"Bring it on."

* * *

"What do you mean there is nothing else to do?" I sat with my dad in the doctor's office. "There has to be something to try." Tears formed at the brim of my eyes.

"You have already gone through several types of treatment. Your body has stopped responding to every single one. I would say 4 months." My dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I knew what the doctor meant. "I think that you should come back in a month after some treatment. Then we can see how things are going. Until then, take things easy."

"Thank you." I followed my dad to the receptionist's desk. "Hey, dad?" My father turned to look at me. "Do you think I will still be able to play baseball until then?" He sighed.

"I'm not sure Kanon. Have you told the Chairperson about your condition?" I nodded. "You should go and talk with her again; see what she thinks." I nodded again. My dad hugged me, and we walked out the door.

* * *

School had started a few weeks ago. Practice for the tournament continued. I had been practicing along with the girls; feeling ill. "Kanon, are you feeling okay? You look pale." I nodded.

"I might just be a little dehydrated."

"Why don't we take a break? Everyone, make sure you drink some water," Ryo said. I followed the team into the dugout. Kido began picking up the balls scattered across the field. When I sat down on the bench, I felt tears come to my eyes. I wanted to tell them so badly about my situation, but I was afraid that if I did, they would not let me play.

"Kanon, come here," Coach shouted. I stood up and walked over to Kido. "When do you start treatment?" Some tears dripped away from my eyes.

"I already did, about a month ago." He waited for me to tell him how things were going. "It isn't working. The doctor stopped the treatment on Monday. I don't know how long it will be."

"They didn't say?" I shook my head. "Okay, here is what I want you to do: sit down for the rest of practice. The treatment is what caused you to be like this, isn't it?" I nodded. "If you want to practice a little, just do some swinging."

"Alright," I mumbled.

"Come on ladies, we still have another thirty minutes of practice." I headed back to the dugout. I took steady sips of water. The girls all tried their hardest to improve their skills.

"Hey there, Bluebells. Why are you sitting on the bench?" I turned and saw Hiroki in his own baseball uniform. I forced a weak smile.

"Just a little ill." His eyes widened.

"Are you…," he trailed off. I nodded. He rushed forward and hugged me. "How long?"

"I don't know. I probably won't be here during the second trimester of school." Hiroki backed away and then knelt in front of me.

"Will you- will you be able…," choked out the guy on his knees. Once again, I nodded.

"I will be able to play in the tournament games, including the one on Saturday." Hiroki grabbed both of my hands and brought them to his lips. He gently kissed them.

"Will you give me the honor of going out on a date with you tomorrow?"

"You know that we can't. Even though I like you, and you like me, we decided that we would not become a couple. You should get back together with Ryo. You should already know that you cannot make long-term commitments with me."

"Then we could go as friends. Nothing romantic; just going out to have fun."

"I don't know. Right now I want to sort things out."

"Okay."

* * *

Saturday arrived; our first game of the battle to the finals was today. We were facing the same school we had faced first in the Koshien tournament last year- Hori High School, the team that played dirty. I was in a much better state than earlier in the week. With the way each inning would go, Ryo would pitch for the first three. I would pitch for the next four, and Ryo would finish out the game.

"Kido, why am I pitching for a lot of the game?"

"I want Ryo to be ready for the last two innings. What you are going to do is pitch right-handed for the first three innings you are up, and then you will pitch left-handed for the last inning." I looked at Ryo. We finally understood what his plan was. Ryo is left-handed; the batters will need to adjust to that. When we switch, they would have to adjust again because I will pitch with my right hand. In the last three innings, the pitches would be left-handed. It was a good strategy.

"What will I do for the five innings I'm not pitching," I asked.

"The batting order will determine where you go." Nodding, I sat down on the bench. We were the home team in this game, so the usual fielders went to their spots on the field. Over the last year, Ryo's pitching had increased in speed. She could reach a speed of 145 kph (90 mph), close to the speed of professionals, and she was only 16.

We changed sides after Ryo had thrown nine pitches. So far, we are starting the game out like the last time the two schools faced off. Our batting order had only one change; me batting last if I would be a substitute for someone else. Seira, Hikaru, Koharu, Izumi, Yuki, and Kanako were able to get up to the batter's box before the visitors finally got three outs. Seira had gotten to first, but then Hikaru was forced out at the same base. She had gotten Seira to second though. Koharu hit the ball out of the park and gave us two runs. Izumi hit a triple, Yuki was tagged on her way to second, and Kanako hit a pop fly that was easily caught. Yuki had gotten an RBI when Izumi scored.

During the second inning, both teams had gotten people on base but didn't score. For the third inning, Hori had two batters run into Mao. One of them scored. When the third inning came to a close, the score was 4 to 3, Hori High School.

"Kanon, they are definitely used to my pitches now. Switch it and change it up." I grinned. Nene handed my mitt that fit on my left hand. Since we were substituting the pitcher, I was allowed to throw five practice pitches. The first four were balls, like I intended. The fifth was a strike right down the middle and slow.

"Play ball," The umpire shouted.

"Hey, girly," the brute-like batter said. "You look tired. Why don't you give us some easy hits so we can end the game?"

"Sure," I called back. The first pitch I threw was a changeup, and just like the name implied, the pitch went across the plate slower than the batter expected.

"Strike one!" When I pitched with my right hand, I usually threw faster pitches- except for the changeup. My left-handed pitches were slower, but I could do many different kinds of pitches. That is what was great with my style of pitching. "Strike three! Batter out! Change sides!" Nine pitches; three outs. The announcer was amazed at the skill of the girl who came out of nowhere.

With where we were in the batting order, I ended up being the third batter. At home plate, I stood in the box to bat left-handed. I hoped I would not be the third out. I deduced where it would be best to hit the ball. On the first pitch, my bat made contact. The ball soared over the right fielder's head. The hit got me to second base.

Seira was up after me. Her hit went to third base. When the ball was thrown to first, I ran to third. Hikaru was up to bat. Seira stole second and made it. During the confusion at second, I sprinted to home plate. Hori didn't even notice until the umpire said I was safe. Our batting was ended when Hikaru had three strikes. The run I had brought in tied the score, 4 to 4.

The next two innings went by with no runs gained by either team. It was time for me to pitch left handed, and it gave the other team quite a shock when I walked on to the field with a glove on my right hand. The umpire allowed me to have five practice pitches. Each one was a different type of pitch I could do. My last inning pitching went down the same way as my first; three outs with three strikes apiece.

It was now the bottom of the seventh inning. I was up first. Standing in the left-handed batter's box, I let two strikes go past me. Then I switched to the other batting box. Just as I expected, his pitch was still thrown for a lefty. Turning out the bat, I bunted the ball. It went about halfway down the baseline before someone was able to get it. I got to first base.

My vision began to become blurry. Fatigue was catching up with me. I had been pitching too hard and trying to run around as many bases as I could. "Time-out," I tried to call out.

"Kanon," someone in the crowd shouted. Everything began to spin.

"Time-out," Kido yelled. "Time-out!" I heard several people starting to run over to me.

"Time!" My body fell to the ground. I was lying there in the dirt, barely conscious. Coach sat me up and supported my torso.

"Kanon, are you alright? Can you see my face?" I could not make out any of the figures I saw through blurred vision. "Ryo, you will need to be her stand-in runner. Hiroki, what are you doing here?"

"I don't have a game today. I came here to watch the girls play. An ambulance is on the way to get her to the hospital. Her dad is going to meet us there."

"You know about her condition?" The legendary hitter looked at Kido gravely. Hiroki nodded. "Okay… you go with her. I'll bring the girls to the hospital when the game is done."

"Yes, sir." The sirens from the ambulance were close. "Make sure they win." Hiroki picked me up and carried me off the field. Somehow, I was still awake, but not for long. By the time I was in the ambulance, I had fainted.

* * *

When I woke up, I was hooked up to an IV and heart monitor. My dad was sitting beside me. The hospital room I was in was very big. I saw the girls on the team standing nearby. "Hi you guys," I said. They all turned around and immediately, rushed over to hug me. "Uh, you guys; I can't breathe."

The team began to ask many questions, but there was one that needed to be answered first. "What is going on," Izumi demanded.

"I'm sick." They didn't buy my lame excuse. "I am terminally ill."

"What do you have," Yuki asked softly.

"I have Leukemia, and I have stopped responding to treatment." The room was completely silent except for the beeping of my heart rate. "I did not want to tell you because I thought you would not let me play baseball with you. I didn't want to have something that makes my life worth living to be taken away. I love baseball and my new friends. I just want to continue to play baseball with you."

* * *

"The Kisaragi Girl's Baseball Team has gotten far in this tournament, and it may be due to their new player who came out of nowhere. Their supposed benchwarmer is actually their secret weapon. This girl is Kanon Himitsu. Her stats are incredible. She can play every single position on the field. She is ambidextrous which gives her an advantage over other players. Pitching and batting, she can use both hands equally. Kanon Himitsu is an all-around team player.

"The first time we met this young girl was in the Kisaragi Girl's first game of the tournament. Her pitching really confused Hori High when she showed her style of pitching. Her batting is spot on as well. An anonymous source has said that she can hit the ball exactly the way she wants to. What an incredible girl she is.

"Sadly, we have been told that she will not be able to stay with the team next year. Kanon Himitsu has Leukemia and no longer responds to treatment of the cancer. A statement from her says that she only cares about finishing this season and will be strong for the rest of it. She will make sure the team gets to Koshien and win."

* * *

My health was declining more rapidly than we expected. I was in and out of the hospital a lot. If I was unable to play, I would still be there in the dugout cheering for the girls.

The championship game had finally come. It would be a battle between brother and sister schools, but I was having a different battle. I was not at the game. I sat in a hospital bed, watching the game on TV. I had begged my dad to let me go, but he said that I would just end up back here in the hospital.

When my dad left the room, a male nurse came in to check my vitals. "Will you please let me go?" The nurse was confused. "My team is losing, and I need to go help. Will you let me leave?" The man looked to the TV and saw the score.

"I shouldn't. You need to stay here." I began to have tears roll down my cheeks. "But, I understand what you are going through. If I let you go, you have to promise me that you will come back… after you win." My frown became a large smile. I nodded, and the nurse helped me sneak out of the hospital. He had called a taxi to take me to Koshien. The driver recognized me and drove as quickly as he could.

The car came to a stop just outside the entrance of the stadium. I ran to the locker room for our team. They had brought my uniform like I asked. Of course I had said it for luck, but they didn't need to know that I was coming. In less than five minutes, I had changed. When I appeared in the dugout, I saw that we had the game tied in the ninth inning like last year, but this time we were the home team. So we would get the last at bat.

"Kido, do you think I can help?" He turned around; eyes wide. Then he smirked.

"I figured you would show up at some point." He handed me the glove for my left hand. "Go step in for Ryo. She is just about out of strength." Nodding, I walked out of the dugout and yelled:

"Time!" Almost everyone in the stadium gasped. "Relief pitcher." The umpire behind the plate motioned for me to step onto the mound. "Ryo, what is the status here?"

"Kanon, I can't believe you are here." I cleared my throat. "Oh, um, two outs, bases are loaded, and Hiroki is up to bat." I nodded.

"Sounds like a little déjà vu. Okay, I got it." Just like any other substitution for pitchers, I was allowed five practice pitches. I was at a disadvantage for once. I had not warmed up. I had not been there to bat. I wasn't in a good state of health either. My pitches were pretty bad.

"Play ball!"

"Kanon, what the hell are you doing here? You are supposed to be in the hospital." Hiroki continued to shout at me when I had thrown the ball to Mao.

"Strike one!"

"You should focus on the game, instead of why I am here." I caught the ball when it was thrown back to me. "You can yell at me later." Getting ready to pitch again, I decided to aim for a high, inside strike. He was able to tip it, but that still gave him two strikes. I was getting tired and fast. The next two pitches rolled across the plate.

"This is why you should not be playing!" My right arm was numb. How would I be able to pitch with it if I couldn't feel anything? I took the glove off my left hand and threw it on the ground. "What are you doing?" My feet were set up for me to pitch.

"Not letting you hit the ball!" I wound up and began to pitch. Everyone gasped. They recognized the form.

"The Lightning Ball?!" The ball was heading right down the middle of the strike zone. Hiroki made contact and hit the ball. Unfortunately, it was heading straight at me. With no mitt, I brought my two hands together to try and catch the line drive.

"Kanon!" The ball stopped when it collided with my hands. I grasped it and did not let it touch the ground. Falling to one knee, I lifted the ball for the umpire to see.

"Uh… batter out. Change sides." After I dropped the ball onto the pitcher's mound, I ran to the dugout to see my teammates. They were shouting; saying it was amazing, lucky, and impressive that I had caught that ball.

"Who is up to bat?" I looked to Kido. He smirked again.

"You are."

"Okay, then let's win this thing." I grabbed a bat, put on a helmet, and walked to the batter's box by home plate. Deciding I would bat right-handed, I stepped into the box on the left side. I was ready for the first pitch. The ball was thrown, and I began to swing.

* * *

My eyes slowly opened. When I inhaled, my breathing sounded like wheezing. I was pale and felt so weak. Just like a few weeks ago, the girls from the team were around me. They saw I was awake. "Kanon," Ryo softly said. "You did it. You hit a home run, and we won the game." I smiled and then coughed a bit.

"You should have seen the boys' faces. They were amazed at the hit. Everything came out great. Because we won, the Kisaragi Girl's Baseball Team will continue to play in the same league as the boys," Hikaru said. They all continued to talk to me with tears in their eyes. They described what happened in the last seconds of the game. They explained how the ball had soared over the walls and how no one could get. It was gone, and then so was I.

* * *

Fifteen years have passed since Kanon Himitsu died. Each member of the original Kisaragi Girl's Baseball Team has good lives. Seira Morimura started to run again and gone to the Olympics twice, bringing home only gold medals each time. Hikaru Yoshimoto got married to Seishiro Natsume. She is now a stay-at-home mom to their son, Katsurou. Koharu Hotta is the current coach for the Kisaragi Girl's Baseball Team. Izumi Himuro went on to become a great tennis player, but she teaches a class for batting in baseball. Yuki Azuma became an Astrologer. She hopefully searches the night sky for traces of her friend Fifi of the planet Yukara. Kanako Mita went through medical school and now researches cures for cancer in remembrance of Kanon. Yoko Tokashiki became an actress and stars in a TV series about a girl's baseball team. Mao Daidoji has a calm life out in the country. She takes care of an animal farm.

I, Ryo Hayakawa, am married to Hiroki Takasugi. The two of us are professional baseball players for the same team. We have been undefeated for the last three years now. We are proud parents of a beautiful little girl. "Mommy, are we gonna go see fireworks?" I looked at my six-year-old daughter.

"Yes, we are leaving in a few minutes. Make sure you are ready to go." Hiroki walked up to me and kissed my cheek.

"How are you? Are you sure you want to go to the festival? We had a rough game yesterday."

"I'm fine. Going to a festival won't bother me."

"Mommy, Daddy, let's go!" She was getting frustrated. She was not the patient kind.

"Alright my little Bluebells," Hiroki said. Smiling, the two of us followed our daughter out the door. When we were outside, Hiroki picked up our daughter and placed her on his shoulders.

"I love you Mommy and Daddy."

"We love you too, Kanon."


End file.
